Bound by Blood
by Tori101
Summary: On her 15th birthday, Sakura Haruno was given a BloodGuard, a personal servant that uses all their power to keep their charge alive and safe. Only her Guard is not only handsome, but also reminds her of a boy she knew, when she was younger…SxS AU.
1. Prologue

**Bound by Blood**

On her 15th birthday, Sakura Haruno was given a Blood-Guard, a personal servant that uses all their power to keep their charge alive and safe. Only her Guard is not only handsome, but also reminds her of a boy she knew, when she was younger…SxS AU.

**_Disclaimer_**: No ownership, of Naruto exists with me, therefore I make no profit from it.

Note: Though this is AU, I'll be adding stuff from the anime, along with stuff not in the anime, and stuff in-between.

**Prologue**

His eyes were sore, and his hands hurt. His wrists were sore and raw, making the stinging pain from the thick iron cuffs worse. They'd started bleeding only a little while ago, or maybe longer, he didn't have any recollection of the time he'd been stuck in the small, dark cell.

Sighing, he leaned against the cold stone wall, trying to get into a comfortable position. He was tired, cold, hungry, and dirty. Not only that, but his clothes were thin and provided next to no warmth for his freezing body. They were also bloody.

Closing his eyes, he tried to focus on something besides the physical pain, and the hurt of the betrayal. And betrayed by _him_, of all people. It just made it all worse, that the last person he had would put him through this, this…he couldn't find any words describing what was to happen to him. Even though his eyes were sore, he could still feel the unwanted sting of tears building up. But instead of trying to hold what was left of his pride, he let it all go, letting the tears spill.

It wasn't long till he was able to finally get himself to fall asleep from exhaustion. At least asleep, he could ignore his impending fate and try to remember the times from before. From before he left that small village.

_Her eyes were soft, and her smile delicate. He gazed at her thoughtfully, as she held out the long stemmed tulip. He reached out, and accepted the flower, the familiar token of her friendship. Her hand was gentle, and her large smile was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. It was still a wonderful miracle that such a bright angel like her would prefer to be in the presence of a tainted mortal such as himself._

"_You know, you're the most interesting girl I've ever met on my travels?" he questioned with a smile. They were both leaning against the large trunk of an old elm tree, enjoying the shade the large braches and leaves above provided._

_She blushed slightly, and shook her head shyly. He didn't mind that she didn't say so. She was quite conservative of her words, never saying too many at a time. It was as though she sometimes couldn't find them, and would just stumble over them with a cute blush and large eyes._

"_Well, you are. I've never met a girl quite like you. You're definitely one in a million." he added the last phrase with a warm smile on his pale lips._

_This caused her to avert her gaze, and her cheeks to burn bright pink. She looked even more innocent and cute when she blushed. At that moment, the wind blew by softly, playing with her long hair, and ruffling his short, midnight strands. A leaf, carried by the breeze, landed on the top of her head. He chuckled softly, and reached out to pick it up off her hair. AS his fingertips brushed past her hair to reach the leaf, he felt a softness that not even the down feathers on a baby bird could imitate._

_His hand rested on her head for a moment, her eyes watching his, and her cheeks burning. After the moment was over, he pulled the leaf away from her soft tresses, and ruffled her hair. She giggled when she tried to brush it out and he chuckled._

His eyes opened quickly at the sound of a key being put into a lock and turning to unlock a door. He lifted his head from the stone wall tiredly, to try and make out the figures standing in the doorway. There were three, two men and a woman, he was able to make out. The woman stepped into the cell quietly and walked over to him.

When she came close, he pressed himself against the wall, obviously afraid of her and what she might do to him. She froze for a moment, noticing his actions, and then took the last two steps till she stood in front of him. She kneeled down on the cell's stone floor, and reached out with a pale hand, trying to touch his shoulder.

He shied away from her touch slightly, and she tried to smile slightly. He couldn't see her eyes, they were shadowed by the cloak she wore, but he could see the small smile on her lips. It wasn't a smirk, nor a grin. It was barely even a smile. The corners of her lips were turned up just so, making it not a frown, but not a full smile either. He noticed something familiar about it, but also noticed that it seemed, sympathetic.

She reached out again, reaching for his cheek. He tensed his body, and shut his eyes tightly, preparing to be struck. But when he felt a soft hand on his cheek, he opened one eye warily. He didn't notice anything threatening about her, and he guessed that she wasn't planning on hurting him, at the moment.

Withdrawing her hand, she stood, and turned towards the two men.

"I like this one, Takeshi." she stated, as though saying she liked a cat in the pet store.

He didn't recognize the name, and guessed that one of the men was this 'Takeshi' person.

"All right then." one man replied.

He didn't recognize the voice of the man who replied, and knew it had to be Takeshi. With curious eyes, he watched as the other man walked into the cell towards him, and hissed in pain when he was grabbed roughly by the shoulder and brought up to stand on his feet. Standing, he was taller than the woman, and just a bit shorter than the other two men, who were both about the same height.

The man and woman began to walk out of the cell, and waited till the other two had left before following them down the torch lit hall.

Looking around, the bloodied teen gazed at the other cell doors, spaced evenly apart. He could recognize a few voices, sobs, and curses. The sobs coming from one cell he knew was a new girl, only about thirteen maybe, who'd been brought in only a few weeks ago. In another cell, about five away from his, a boy's voice could be heard muttering something, maybe from a book he'd memorized. The teen knew it was a boy only a year older than him who'd been here for about three years.

When they walked into another hallway, the teen looked towards a certain area of cells, expecting to hear the quiet sobs of a certain girl he'd come to know. But as the small group passed by the area of cells, he saw that one of the doors was open, and he couldn't hear any noise from the other two cells beside it. He wondered if the girl was out with one of the instructors.

Coming to a stairwell of stone, the group walked up in silence. Soon enough, they reached the top of the stairs where a set of double doors were located. The man in front of the teen pushed them open, and led them through. They didn't even walk ten feet before the doors could be heard closing. The boy didn't have to turn around to know that the guards posted outside the doors had closed them.

After some more walking, they came out from under a stone overhang, and were blinded by the sun light. The teen stopped for a moment, his eyes severely unaccustomed to the bright light. The man leading them turned and though his cloak shadowed his eyes, the teen knew that stopping them was not a good idea. The man looked as though about to strike him, when the woman stepped forward. The man stopped for a moment, contemplating whether or not to hit the teen, and then turned around again.

The woman turned to the boy, a small smile on her lips. He stared up at her warily, and then turned away to follow the man again. The man and woman followed quickly as well.

Their procession soon led them down a familiar corridor to the teen, and he unconsciously shifted his hands, making the iron cuffs rub against his already raw and bloody wrists. They slowly walked down a marble pathway, old stains from blood having turned the gray marble a burgundy color. They walked under another stone overhang that led into a long, large corridor with thick doors like the cell doors lining the walls. These were spaced out more than the other doors had been.

Sounds were slightly muffled by the doors, but screams and cries of pain still made their way into the corridor. The teen visibly shivered hearing them, and the two adults behind him noticed. One of the doors they were passing opened, and two cloaked figures led a light haired girl out of the room. The teen looked over at her, and felt his blood run cold. The girl was cut and bleeding nearly everywhere, and were she wasn't wounded she was bruised black, blue, and almost every other color. The blood from her wounds was dripping onto the floor in sickening gushes. Hearing other footsteps in the hall made her look up, and she saw the four others walking by. She noticed the teen walking with them, and caught his gaze.

Between their eyes, they exchanged silent words. Her empty gray eyes seemed to be trying to sympathize with him, and try to give him a little reassurance for what both knew would be coming. His obsidian eyes seemed to relay a similar message, only he was trying to tell her to be strong. When they were out of each other's sight, the boy looked forward again. All the others, who like him, had been brought here, tried to be strong for each other, even though death, pain, and a possibly worse fate were all that awaited them once they were locked into a cell. Freedom came at one price: your life. But it came in two different ways. There was death, and there was…

The group came to another set of double doors, but this time, they were opened by the two guards waiting outside the doors. The teen felt a chill run down his spine, he'd seen some others go through this door, and knew what happened inside the next room. He also knew that they never came back. Once those doors closed, you would never return to the cells.

The teen nearly jumped when the doors were closed behind them, and he wondered to himself when they'd walking into the room. He looked around out of morbid curiosity, wondering what would happen next. The first thing he noticed was that the fire that burned in the torches wasn't red, but blue. Before he could get a good look around the room, though, he looked towards the middle of the room, and his eyes widened out of horror and fear.

The center of the room sloped down about fourteen feet into the stone ground and was about thirty feet across, and crude stone steps had been carved into the slope. At the bottom of the depression, there seemed to be a circular outline cut into the rock by water. All around this outline, blue fire burned, forming a wall. From the cut outline, towards the center of the depression, intricate passes were cut, also outlined in blue fire, all leading to a small, stone circle, only about four feet across, dead center of the depression. But kneeling in that circle, the boy could see a very familiar dark haired girl. Cuts had been made down her arms in an intricate style in what he thought to be a type of ancient calligraphy. They bled freely and heavily, staining the stone she kneeled on with her blood. She was holding her cuffed hands tightly to her chest, like she wanted to clutch at her arms instead.

A cloaked figure at the edge of the first wall of blue fire was chanting something in an odd tongue, and he seemed to say something with a lot of force because once the words left his lips, the blue fire flared and faded to a bright, electric blue. The flames around the girl seemed to freeze and become similar to blades, and they lashed out at the kneeling teen. The scream that came from her throat was wretched, and horror sunk into the boy's heart as her body seized and trembled against the unstoppable attacks. Two of the blades lashed out and cut through the iron cuffs around her wrists. The blood that came from her wounds dripped to the stone, and seemed to glimmer slightly.

Soon enough, the blades reverted back into flames, which slowly died down. The boy stared down at the girl, his eyes wide and his breathing erratic and sharp breathes. The blood on the dark haired girl seemed to disappear, except for a thin cut circling her neck, a thin cut circling each arm a bit below the shoulders, and two cuts circling each wrist. The blood coming from them stopped dripping, and the wounds began glowing blue. The text on her arms that was bleeding seemed to shimmer slightly before her skin healed itself, forming pink scar tissue over the text. The glowing wounds turned bright, and then dimmed down till they were only a dark aqua blue. When the glow finally dispersed, it looked as though dark aqua tattoos had been etched into her skin where the circling wounds had been.

Two cloaked figures walked down the steps of the depression, and walked carefully towards the girl. She was trembling, and looked about to collapse. When the two figures reached her, one stooped down and picked her up into their arms. They both then walked back the way they'd come, and the figure holding the girl handed her over to another cloaked figure.

The boy kept his eyes on her, not able to look away. He saw she wasn't unconscious, but she didn't seem to be making any movements to prove she was still alive. He was too occupied with the girl to notice that a cloaked figure was coming towards him. He didn't notice that the figure was in front of him till a hand came out and grabbed his left upper arm roughly. He winced slightly, and looked up at the figure.

The visible lips were painted a dark blue color, and the teen recognized the woman. She was one of the more cruel and rough instructors that no one liked to be in a room alone with. But then the woman turned away and began leading the boy towards the steps. When the teen's foot hit the first step, he felt a surge of fear run through his entire body, and he began trembling again while his stomach tied itself in knots.

But his body, trained to do as it was ordered, still followed behind the woman. It was more out of instilled fear and mandatory obedience that anyone actually obeyed the cruel figures hidden by their cloaks. Soon enough, the two had reached the center stone circle. The woman forced the boy onto his knees, and the teen was horrified to find that once kneeling, moving his body became near impossible.

The woman was gone in moments, and the teen shivered when the other cloaked figure at the foot of the outside circle began chanting. His voice was low, deep, and more unsettling than anything he'd ever heard. It also seemed to echo around him. Soon, the blue flames leapt up around him, but he wasn't so frightened of them since he'd seen them before. No, he wasn't afraid of them, he was afraid of what they would become soon enough.

After a few words left the cloaked man's mouth, the boy gasped aloud, feeling as though the skin on his arms was tearing itself apart. He forcefully turned his head and saw that the same calligraphy that had been in the girl's arms was carving itself onto his own arms. Another few symbols were formed, and the teen dropped biting his tongue and screamed in pure pain.

His whole entire body shook with cold and pain, and it felt as though his insides were being ripped apart. Inside his head, except for the words from the man's chanting, he heard nothing, and only saw blue flames. It felt like his brain was going to explode, and he screamed again, not knowing why he even bothered screaming when it would do nothing. No part of him wished for any sympathy or pity from the figures in the room, because he'd learned within his first few days here almost four years ago that there was to be no sympathy or comfort for those locked in the cells, except for the depressing comfort from the others like him.

After a few moments, the teen recognized familiar words from the man, and widened his eyes, knowing what was to come next.

The blue flames flared, froze, and became the blades from before. Not even able to prepare himself for the incoming attack, the teen tried to scream as the blades cut through the iron cuffs, and then sliced through his flesh. The sensation was a burning, stinging, freezing pain that wouldn't numb away. Blade after blade slashed his body, ripping through the thin tank top he wore, and ripping through his skin. He felt tears sting his eyes as the blades lashed towards his neck, barely even cutting the skin as they circled his throat. More blades cut across his upper arms, and more at his wrists.

One more blade struck out and lashed him diagonally down the middle of his chest, making the blood fly from his wound. Another blade came out and slashed diagonally down the other side of his chest, forming an X across his torso. The man chanted a few more words, and the blades changed back. The flames flickered and then died away. His skin on his arms began to heal over the text, forming the pink scar tissue. His circular cuts began to glow, and like the girl dulled down to form dark aqua blue tattoo marks around his neck, arms and wrists. Only, the wound on his chest also glowed like the circular wounds before dulling to the same shade of blue and looking like a tattoo mark.

The boy knelt there, his body trembling and his head spinning. He felt a powerful ache all over his body that wasn't going away. His gaze seemed to lose focus, get it back, lose it again, and get it back but fuzzier. This continued, till all he could see was a dark blur. He made no attempt to show any signs of recognition as someone picked him up gently. He didn't even register that he'd been touched gently.

He barely felt the passing of hands as he was handed over to the Takeshi guy. The only movement he could must was only to look over at the figure holding the dark haired girl. His eyes rested on the pale, sorrow wrung face of the girl. Her eye lids fluttered, and her pale white eyes opened, her gaze meeting his. Her eyes widened a bit, and her lips parted as though she was about to say something, but then her eyes rolled back and she closed her eyes.

The boy looked away, and up at the stone ceiling of the room. It was too dark to actually see the ceiling, so he guessed it was pretty far up. He then felt his body tense, and then it felt like a system shutdown was flowing through him. His vision blurred, and he felt his mind going foggy.

"_I see…so this is what you're feeling, huh Hinata?"_ he asked himself silently, before slipping off and out.

_The tears in her eyes looked so misplaced. Her eyes looked full of hurt and sadness, and she was biting her bottom lip to keep from sobbing. He felt his heart breaking in two at the sight._

_The rain was coming down in torrents now, fully soaking them. Her red and white dress clung to her body like a second skin when wet, mimicking her long hair. He could see that she was shaking from the cold, but he knew he could do nothing about it. Tears mixed with rain as both fell to the ground._

"_You're…you're leaving…" she stated finally, her voice barely audible against the wind._

_He nodded, turning his head but never looking away from her. He couldn't bring himself to look away from her eyes._

"_I don't want you…to go…" she said after another few moments. "But…I know you have to…" she added when he opened his mouth as though to say something._

_He sealed his lips shut and clenched his hands into fists._

_He was trying to figure out what to do next, when she brought her hands out from behind her back. His eyes widened when he saw the dark red flower clutched tightly in her hand. Her eyes seemed to be saying the words she couldn't. "Take it, leave already, and never forget me." He walked towards her, ready to take the flower. when he was close enough, he reached out and grasped the stem, but blinked when he felt thorns prick his skin. He looked down at her hand clutching the rose tightly, and noticed that her hand was scratched terribly and her fingertips even had small drops of blood being drawn by the thorns, and washed away by the rain. Looking closer at the flower, he also realized that it was one of the summer flowers that died in late summer just before Autumn. It was already Autumn, so how could she have possibly found one?_

"_I…I was looking all over for it yesterday…" she finally found words to say. "I looked all over the forest for it, and I even tried to find it near the edge of the cliffs." Her voice began to crack as she spoke, and she hiccupped. "I had to climb a bit up the cliff edge, till I could finally reach one. But, there were thorns and sharp rocks everywhere, and I hurt my hands pretty bad." she finished, bringing up her other hand to show the scratches and scrapes she'd gotten on that hand as well._

_His body shook, and his heart shuddered. He pulled the flower gently from her hand before stepping forward and bringing her into a tight embrace. She gasped quietly when he pressed her against his chest while his arms wrapped securely around her back and waist._

_She buried her face in his wet shirt, allowing her sobs to become louder. He didn't sob, but he was crying._

"_Promise me something?" she asked quietly._

"_Anything." he mumbled, pulling her away a bit so he could look into her eyes._

"_Promise me, you won't forget me?!" she demanded, her eyes wide and fearing that he'd say no._

_He smiled sadly as tears spilled from his obsidian eyes. "I'll never forget you, Ever." he stated strongly. "You just have to promise me one thing," he added with a small smile._

"_W-what?" she asked, willing to do anything for him._

"_Promise me, that you'll never forget me." he began, "And that you'll wait till I return before you get your first kiss. From me of course," he added, trying to bring some of his humorous attitude back for her._

_A red blush covered her cheeks, and her eyes widened. "You, you want to be my first kiss?" she questioned, her knees shaking._

_He nodded, trying to put on a real smile instead of a sad one. "Yes." he replied. '**I want to be a lot of your firsts…**' he confessed to himself silently. "So, promise that you'll remember and wait for me?" he asked again._

"_Yes, of course!" she answered, not a single note of doubt or falseness in her voice._

"_All right," he said, unsure of what to do next._

"_But, why don't you just kiss me now?" she asked curiously._

_He brought a hand up, and gently stroked her cheek, "Because if I kissed you now, it would only be full of sadness and goodbyes. It would leave us empty. I want to kiss you when I come back, so that it will mean so much more, to the both of us. All right?" he asked, trying to brush a lock of hair away from her face._

_She nodded. She understood, and she felt more tears coming._

"_I'll see you again, I promise." he stated with a smile before brushing his lips against her forehead._

_He then turned and ran through the rain towards the horse waiting for him, the rose still clutched tightly in his hand. Another horse, accompanied by a rider, stood not too far away from the boy. The rider watched him lift himself onto the animal's back before they both turned to walk down the road. Just as the other rider cracked the reins on his horse's back, both of them began galloping forward. The boy turned slightly, to watch the small figure on the road disappear slowly from sight._

When he opened his eyes, he didn't have the amnesia moment where he didn't know where he was or why he wasn't back in his cell. Sure, he didn't know exactly where he was, but he did remember the ritual he'd gone through, and everything up to that point. What he didn't recognize was the ceiling above him.

A cool hand was pressed to his forehead, and he looked to the side a bit, confused to see the seemingly kind face of a woman staring down at him. And for once, her eyes weren't shadowed by a cloak, nor did it look like she was wearing one.

She looked to be wearing a long sleeved violet shirt, with white around the collar and the bottoms of the sleeves. Her hair was long and straight, and a strawberry blonde. Her eyes were also a dark green, almost black. Her lips curved up into a smile, and he was even more confused.

"I'm glad you're awake." she said.

Her voice was familiar, and he relaxed some, realizing she was the woman that had picked him out.

"So, are you and the man who I am to serve?" he questioned, using words exactly as he'd been taught.

The woman chuckled, and sat back as the carriage jumbled a bit. The teen looked surprised for a moment, not realizing they were sitting in a carriage. The horses outside made a few noises as the crack of the reins was heard.

"No. You will not be serving my husband and I. You're a gift actually," the woman stated.

The boy felt his eyes widen as his heart skipped a beat. Not only was it degrading that he was now an officially useable Blood-Guard, but he was going to be handed off as a gift? He knew from the lessons he and the other Blood-Guards had underwent that he was in no position to inquire about himself unless it was about a task of some sort. Even then though, speaking with those "above" his position was usually forbidden.

Instead, he laid his head back down on the seat cushion he'd been sleeping, if you could call it that, on. Of course, it was a hundred times better than sleeping on a cold stone floor. He shifted his body slightly, and noticed two things. One, he didn't feel any pain from his previous wounds and injuries. Two, he was wearing different, comfortable clothing.

But instead of actually paying any attention to it, he decided he'd try to get as much sleep as he could in a quiet, comfortable place before he was handed off to who knows where and who.

**Ah, first chapter, well, prologue, and I'm all jittery. I was actually typing the first chapter when I decided that I wanted a prologue, so the first chapter is already a quarter of the way done, heh. Well, I hope you liked my prologue, and it'd be super awesome if you wonderful readers would review too!**


	2. Happy Birthday

**Bound by Blood**

**_Disclaimer_**: No ownership, of Naruto exists with me, therefore I make no profit from it.

**Chapter 1 Happy Birthday**

The sun was rising slowly, and the light through the curtains seeped into her room like an invading wave of gold and pink. She watched from her bed, her green eyes tired and slightly cloudy. She'd been awake for the past few hours now…just lying in her bed, still breathing as though she were asleep.

She was like this every morning, awake, but still dead to the world. It had been going on for…some time now…She'd forgotten when it first started, but she didn't feel like remembering either. It was all a bit…complicated. Usually, she wouldn't even get out of bed till her mother was banging at her door angrily, yelling for her to wake up. But sometimes, there would be the annoying tapping at the window that wouldn't stop till she broke out of her numb trance and got up to open the window. Speaking of which…

Slowly turning her gaze to the window, green eyes glared weakly at the closed window where a soft, yet loud enough, tapping was emitting. The silhouette of a person, probably in their teens, sat behind the window on the tree branch overlooking the room. Making no noise as she pulled herself out of bed, she softly padded across the dark lacquered floorboards towards the window. Reaching out with pale hands, she parted the curtains and unlocked the window, allowing the figure waiting outside entrance into the room.

"Morning!" the girl on the tree branch outside greeted warmly before slipping inside the room, her blue eyes flashing.

The green eyed girl eyed the other warily before closing the window with a sigh. It was a bit cold outside that morning.

"Morning, Ino." she replied, running a hand through her long and tangled rose colored tresses.

Ino grinned, deftly tucking a few strands of her long blonde hair behind her ear.

"You look like a mess, Sakura." she replied bluntly.

Sakura glared weakly at her before walking over to her bed and falling back onto the warm blankets she'd left.

"Hey! Don't you go trying to go back to sleep!" Ino yelled, slightly peeved as she walked over to her friend. Grabbing her by the long white sleeve of her nightgown, she yanked the girl up roughly to stand on her feet. "I didn't come here so early to wake you up, just so you could go back to sleep!" she added, dragging her annoyed as hell friend towards her bathroom. '_Not that you even were sleeping before,_' the blonde added to herself silently.

Pulling the bathroom door open, Ino pushed her friend inside the bathroom with a smirk.

"Now get washed up quickly while I pick out something for you to wear!" she ordered playfully.

Sakura turned to glare and probably shout at her before Ino closed the door loudly.

When the pink haired girl walked out twenty minutes later, she was still trying to towel dry her now wet, tangled hair. Long hair was such a nuisance, especially in the morning. She had to stop rubbing her hair for a moment to fix the towel around her body. She wasn't able to find her bathrobe, and guessed it was still with all her clean clothes that she had yet to put away.

Ino sat her down in a chair in front of her vanity, and yanked the towel from the disgruntled girl's hands, allowing the tangled locks to fall past her shoulders and a few past her face. The blue eyed girl picked up a brush from the vanity and began running it gently through the pink tresses, trying to untangle them without causing her friend too much pain.

After a few minutes and a few quiet curses from both girls, Sakura's hair was finally neatly brushed and near fully dry. As the girl stood from the chair, she turned around to see Ino holding up two ribbons.

"All right," she began, a mischievous grin crossing her features. "You pick a ribbon, each of which has a different outfit picked out for it. Either way though, I doubt you'll like either of them. So just pick one already."

Sakura raised an eyebrow and glanced warily at the two ribbons.

"Why exactly do you think I'll play along with your little game this morning Ino?" she asked bluntly.

Ino smirked and made a Tsk sound in her mouth. "Because, Sakura-_chan_, I'm taking you out for some quality time today, _all day_, and I want you to wear something stylish for once. I can't be seen in public dressed nicer than you today!" she said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"And just what is so special about today, Ino?" Sakura asked uncaringly as she snatched the red ribbon from her friend.

Ino chuckled, as though expecting the answer, and laid down the white ribbon on the bed.

"Jeez Sakura, I knew you were a bit off lately, but to forget what today is?" she questioned, still smirking. "It's your birthday Sakura! So, happy birthday." She stated, pointing out the outfit Sakura had blindly chosen, causing said girl to pale and her left eye to twitch.

Ino nearly dragged her pink haired friend out of her house, literally kicking and screaming. The blonde made no indications that she knew what Sakura was doing, and the green eyed girl finally gave up after she was pulled out the front door.

Once they reached the sidewalk, Ino turned around and inspected her glaring friend. As though she was fixing her art project, she reached towards her friend and smoothed out her hair and tightened the red ribbon holding it up into the loose bun. The blonde girl then stepped back to admire her handiwork yet again, before inspecting her friend's outfit. The one she'd put together, of course.

Sakura continued to glare at her friend as Ino leaned forward and adjusted the pale blue tank top. The pink haired girl pulled slightly at the bottoms of the white shorts that barely reached her mid thigh, only for Ino to slap her hands away as she "fixed" the pants. The blue eyed girl then smiled and grabbed Sakura's wrist before pulling her down the sidewalk.

"Hey, Sakura?" Ino asked after a few steps.

"Hm?"

"Your parents left like, two days ago, right? Shouldn't they be back by now? I mean, it's your birthday and everything," the blonde explained.

Sakura looked across the dirt street over at the shops. People, mostly early risers, were walking outside of them, and the shop owners were opening their stores with anxious smiles. '_Why is it that all these people can wake up so carefree every morning?_' the girl wondered solemnly to herself.

"I guess…I think they had some business to take care of. It doesn't matter though, whether or not they're here. They'll just be troublesome." The pink haired girl mumbled quietly.

Ino snorted as they turned a corner before crossing the street. "Seriously Sakura, you don't mean that. And you've spent too much time around Shikamaru!" the blonde joked, stopping outside of a café.

But when Ino turned around, she noticed Sakura wasn't smiling. She was staring up at the sky, her eyes seemingly out of focus. Ino furrowed her brow, and bit her bottom lip.

"Hey, Sakura," she began again, pulling up a smile. "Wanna eat here for breakfast? I know they have really good fruit drinks."

Before Sakura could utter a word, the other girl was already dragging her through the doors into the surprisingly lively café. It only took a moment for a waiter to come by and lead them over to a table. He asked if they wanted anything to drink, and Sakura asked for water while Ino requested for some sort of fruit drink. She'd obviously been there before.

Once he left, both girls glanced at the menu, neither really paying much attention to it. Ino practically knew the thing by heart, and Sakura wasn't really interested. When the waiter came back a few minutes later with their drinks, Ino ordered for both of them. He left again quickly, and Ino glanced at Sakura. She'd propped her chin on her hand while she slowly stirred the ice in her drink. The blonde wasn't enjoying the fact that her friend was nearly completely ignoring her, so she reached out and pinched the girl's ear. Sakura looked up startled, and began to glare at the blonde.

"Ino! What was that for!?" she demanded.

Leaning back in her chair, smirking, Ino shrugged. "Well, you were ignoring me. It's your birthday, and we're supposed to be going out on the town and enjoying ourselves! Not to mention that today, everything's my treat! So stop acting like Shikamaru and enjoy yourself today! Okay? Or at least pretend like you are so I don't feel bad!" the blue eyed girl huffed.

Sakura looked as though she'd been smacked across the face, and an embarrassed blush crossed her cheeks. Averting her eyes, she seemed to shrink in her chair and she mumbled a quick apology. '_Ino's right…I should at least try to have some fun today. She deserves a good day too, after all she's done for me…_' she thought silently to herself.

Looking back over at her blonde friend who sat waiting expectantly for something, she sat up straight in her chair. The corners of her lips turned up just so, and her eyes softened. Ino brightened up seeing her friend smile, and her own smile increased when their waiter came back with their food. He set the two plates down in front of them, and Sakura stared down with wide eyes.

"Ino," she asked, poking the side of her plate with a fork. "What…what is this?" she asked curiously, stabbing a piece of something a bright pink color with the fork.

Ino chuckled and spooned something that looked like some sort of blue goo into her mouth. She swallowed, and licked her lips.

"Just try it, Haruno." she ordered.

Sakura looked down at the full plate that was much too colorful and odd looking to be normal.

"Ino, none of this is alive, is it?" she asked after a moment.

The blonde girl grinned before breaking out in laughter. She shook her head as she calmed down, and watched intently as her friend lifted the fork with the piece of pink-mystery-whatever towards her lips.

* * *

He awoke when he felt someone gently shaking his shoulder. Quickly opening his obsidian eyes, he saw the woman from before smiling down at him. He recalled her words, when she told him he was a gift, and he forgot about her kindness, only thinking of her ignorant and careless attitude towards the human slaves, the Blood-Guards.

"Come, the horses need a rest, and I want to get you cleaned." she stated.

He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, enough to form a small glare, but not enough so that she'd notice. But he still followed her out of the carriage.

His feet hit the dirt road, and he felt a bit out of place again. Stone and marble were all his feet had been accustomed to for the past fours years, so the soft, yet still hard packed dirt of the old road was new to him. The woman watched him gather his bearings after a moment, an amused look on her face. When he took another step towards her, she turned around and began walking towards the forest on the edge of the road. The teen turned his head to see the Takeshi man tending to the horses, another man with him. But before he could get a good look at the new face, he heard the woman call out to him, and he hurriedly followed her. Whether or not she was his new mistress didn't stand in the way of punishment for disobedience.

As they walked under the shade of the tall trees overhead, the woman chattered about something that the teen didn't pay any attention to. When the walked into a sun light clearing, it took him a moment to adjust to the change in lighting again. It was actually quite annoying, the sensitivity to light. But, four years stuck in a dark cell and barely ever seeing sunlight _will_ do that to a person's eyes.

Looking around, the teen noticed that a large rock formation stood at the center of the clearing, and a spring of clear water was bubbling in front of it. The woman turned back to look at him and smiled again.

"Get out of your clothes and step into the spring. You can wash yourself correct?" she asked calmly.

The teen nodded, slightly uncomfortable from her first sentence. But, not wanting to find out what the woman was like when she was angry, the boy slipped off the tan shirt he was wearing, revealing his pale, bare chest. It was muscled from the years of "training" the cloaked instructors had put the Blood-Guards through, but it wasn't scared, surprisingly. The only scars he had were the scars from the text on his arms. Other than that, the only other marks on his skin were the blue marks.

His hands drifted to the waist of his pants, but he froze for a few moments, and looked up to see the woman was still staring at him. But her eyes looked as though she could have been staring at a bird hopping around on the ground for all she cared. So he slipped those off, leaving him in nothing but the dark blue shorts he wore underneath. He didn't, really didn't, want to have to slip those off, and he let out a sigh of relief when the woman indicated to the spring.

The teen walked over to it, and the woman watched as he stepped into the cool water. Though he'd rather have warm water, the cold water flowing over his grimy skin felt amazing. Looking down, he noticed that the spring wasn't very deep, not even in the center, and only came up to his navel.

"All right, wash yourself up quickly. You can use this if you'd like." the woman said, startling the boy since she'd come up right behind him.

He turned, and saw she was offering a bar of soap. He took it, still uncomfortable with the woman in clearing with him. She smiled, and her eyes drifted to his tangled mess of hair.

"Would you like a brush as well?" she asked, more to herself though.

"Uh…" he mumbled.

She grinned again, and told him after he was done washing himself she'd help him brush out his hair. Her words, though seemingly sent out as kind, made him feel more self conscious. No one touched his hair. Ever. But, he didn't have much choice with this woman. He watched as she walked to the other side of the clearing and sat down against one of the trees, and pulled a book from the large leather bag she'd brought along. She looked over at him, and told him to hurry.

The teen turned back around, and sat down on one of the rocks slightly underneath the springs surface. He held the soap under the water, and lathered it into his hands, and watched in slight fascination as his skin seemed to become even paler the more he cleaned it from the dirt, grime, and blood from his stay at the "prison."

After about twenty minutes, he was finally washed, and he'd scrubbed his long black hair under the water till it no longer felt greasy or grimy. Sure, it was even more tangled, but now it was _clean_ and tangled. Not to mention wet, but what part of him wasn't wet now? Stepping out of the spring, he was surprised to see the woman a few feet away, holding onto a towel and a folded pile of what he guessed to be more clothes.

"Here, you can dry off then change into these. I'm not positive they'll fit you, they might be a bit big," she added as she handed them over to him. "Then I'll brush out your hair for you."

The teen nodded absently, and placed the clothes on the ground before quickly drying himself off as best he could with the towel. His hair wasn't dripping wet, and he guessed that even if he did towel dry it, he'd probably only make it worse. Turning down to look at the clothes, he noticed the pair of black boxer shorts, and turned to see the woman looking at him indifferently again. She glanced down, and smiled.

"I'll turn around if you'd like." she said, promptly turning around.

The teen sighed silently out of relief, and quickly exchanged the wet boxers for the dry ones. He had to admit, feeling clean clothes on clean skin was definitely a pleasing feeling. The woman turned around again, and watched as he slipped the new clothes on. The shirt was a thin, long sleeved black turtleneck-style shirt, with a large collar that rested not on his throat, but along his collar bone. Over that was a dark red vest with a white outlining around the shoulder areas, and the hems at the collar and the bottom hem. On the back was the design of sakura petals in a pale rose pink color. His pants were think and black that went down to stop above his ankles, and he wore baggy, knee length pants over those that were the same color as the vest. On the bottoms of these pants was a sakura petal design in the same color as the design on the vest.

When he was finished dressing, the woman handed him a pair of familiar looking dark blue sandals. (Like the ones they wear in the anime) The teen strapped them on with ease, and stood back up to face the woman. She seemed to be looking him over, her eyes on the clothes, and her finger on her chin. When she was done, she nodded absently in approval, and motioned for him to sit down. She walked behind him before sitting down as well, the brush in her hand.

Surprisingly though, when the woman began brushing the boy's hair, she seemed gentle enough to avoid pulling the tangles much. The boy was slightly thankful for the small gesture, but he was still uncomfortable with the woman brushing his hair. It took what he guessed about ten minutes before she was satisfied with his now shining, cleaned, and neatly groomed hair. The Blood-Guard couldn't deny that he liked the feeling of having clean hair without bothersome tangles, but he didn't allow the woman to know.

He stood quickly after her, and followed her as she led him away from the clearing, back the way they had come. His long, midnight black tresses were drying fast, but they were still a bit damp, making small marks of wetness on the backs of his shoulders. He wondered if he'd have the chance to cut his hair, once he was handed over to whoever he was to be given to. He'd had no choice while living in the cells, whether or not he wanted long hair. Truth be told, he wanted to chop it off, and have the short, windblown cut he liked, back when he was thirteen. With long hair down to past his shoulders, he felt he looked too much like _him_. And _he_ was the last thing he ever wanted to think about.

But he pulled himself out of his thoughts when they reached the road side again. Takeshi was leaning against the carriage, while the man the boy wasn't familiar with was tending to the horses. The teen's eyes widened slightly when he noticed that the man's attire was the same as the clothes he'd just received from the kind, but ignorant woman. When the man turned slightly, the black haired teen saw a dark aqua blue line seeming etched around his neck. This other man was another Blood-Guard.

"Takeshi, how much longer will it be before we reach Konoha?" the woman asked as she walked over to her husband.

The man looked thoughtful for a moment, and then back at his wife before answering, "It'll be late, Setsu."

The woman, Setsu, nodded, and gestured for the teen to walk over to her. She smiled again before climbing into the carriage. She called for him to get in as well, but he sent a wayward glance towards Takeshi, who also seemed to be inspecting him.

The teen saw that the man had dirty blonde hair, and brown eyes. His skin also looked tanned from long days under the sun. Looking over him again, the boy saw that he didn't have a very muscular frame, but still looked fit. His clothes looked normal, nothing too fancy, but more casual. But something about his demeanor…the teen didn't necessarily like it. But before he could try to pin-point any reason to his odd reaction to the man, the other man walked over quietly.

"Sir, the horses are ready. Shall we resume?" the man asked, nearly mechanically.

"Yes. I don't want to be too late tonight, what with it being her night." Takeshi replied, a small grin tugging at the corners of his lips.

The teen sighed silently, and more or less accepted the woman's hand as she pulled him up into the carriage.

* * *

Walking out of another store, Ino was once again dragging Sakura behind her. Only now she had two bags full of whatever to drag along with her friend. Too bad for the green eyed girl the extra weight didn't deter the blonde any, and only seemed to make her more energetic.

Sakura sighed as her friend led her towards another store, a clothing store again maybe. Though it was nearly four hours ago, she could still taste her breakfast in her mouth, sweet and fruity. Ino had still refused to tell her exactly what she'd eaten, and she'd had to confess that it had been very good. After Ino had paid their bill, it was a one-way trip after trip to one clothing store after another. Then after that, it seemed the only thing revolving around the blue eyed girl's brain was shoes.

'_Oh rapturous joy…_' the pinkette thought to herself dismally as they neared another store.

"Hey! Sakura-chan!"

Both girls looked up in surprise when the pink haired girl's name was called. But before either could register what was going on, a blur of blonde rushed by, and Ino was no longer gripping her friend's arm. The blonde turned and groaned at what she saw.

Sakura and a boy who looked to be a little older than her were lying on the ground, the boy giving her a tight embrace.

"Happy birthday Sakura-chan!" the blonde shouted excitedly.

"Naruto…I can't breathe…" the green eyed girl stated, slightly angry.

The boy blinked his big blue eyes, before chuckling nervously and standing.

"Sorry," he replied, lending her a hand to help her up.

The girl took it, but once standing, the blonde boy, Naruto, flung his arm around her neck.

"Naruto…" Ino muttered, her voice bordering anger and slight resentment.

The blonde boy grinned, showing of his teeth as he playfully nuzzled his captive's cheek.

"What? Am I not allowed to show my beautiful friend some affection every now and then?" he asked, making both girls sigh.

"You treat her as though she's your girlfriend." the blonde girl stated disdainfully.

"Brilliant suggestion Ino! What do you say Sakura? Shall we take our friendship to the next level?" the boy asked, only half joking.

The girl only glared and mumbled an obscene comment under her breath, causing her "friends" to break into hearty chuckles.

After a few moments, the boy released the long haired girl, who sent a weak glare towards him.

"Naruto, you know I don't like it when you do that," she mumbled, narrowing her eyes.

The boy only continued to smile, "But Sakura-chan, you're so cute when you're angry!" he mused, annoying the girl even more when he poked her gently on the nose.

"Shut up!" she growled, only receiving more laughs from the two blondes.

"Have you two had lunch yet?" Naruto asked after another moment was lost to laughing.

Ino shook her head, and the blonde boy's grin grew impossibly large.

"Well then, how about I treat you and the lovely birthday girl to some ramen? Hm?" he asked.

Ino raised an eyebrow, and Sakura was still glaring at her supposed "closest friends".

"Naruto, I'm not sure Sakura would want some plain old ramen on her birthday…" Ino began nervously. Her words didn't go unnoticed by the other girl, and Sakura studied Ino for a moment, before smirking inwardly to herself.

"Actually, ramen sounds great! Right, Ino?" Sakura asked, her features masked by her innocent statement.

Ino looked surprised for a moment, but sighed in submission. "All right…but there's no way I'll try the "special" again…" the girl's last comment was said bitterly as the same girl gave Naruto a warning glance.

The boy grinned, ignoring Ino's look, and latched his arm around Sakura's shoulders once again, pulling her closer to him. The green eyed girl smirked victoriously at Ino as she ignored the boy's arm around her shoulders, satisfied that she'd be able to make the small victory over the blonde girl. It would probably be her only victory that day, so she'd milk it for all it was worth.

After lunch, the two blondes dragged their unwilling friend to nearly anywhere they could think of. At one point, Sakura wondered if they were just stalling for time, but she didn't have time to think much about it, because soon enough, she noticed that they were leading her back towards her house. The green eyed girl sighed happily, thinking she'd finally get some peace and quiet once her "dearest friends" left her home. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be.

As soon as Ino opened the door and flipped on the lights, Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin when a chorus of "Happy Birthday!" met her ears. Naruto shoved the girl through the doorway, and closed the front door behind them. Looking around, surprised, and either seriously pissed off, or seriously overjoyed, Sakura saw the faces of nearly every teen her two "most loved" friends had ever gotten her acquainted with.

"You shouldn't have…" the girl mumbled, turning her head to give her friends an annoyed look. "You _really_, shouldn't have…"

"But we did, Sakura," Ino said, patting her friend on the shoulder. "And you've still got a few hours that you're spending with me, so you have to have fun. Whether or not you want this party." the blonde girl chimed merrily, totally ignoring her friend's murderous glare.

Naruto stepped up behind her and clapped her on the other shoulder.

"Happy 15th birthday, Sakura-chan! Now enjoy it! Or else we'll do something you wouldn't like very much, and trust me, you wouldn't."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at Naruto's words, and glanced around the room at the faces of her "guests". She saw a mischievous gleam in their eyes, and felt that sinking feeling telling her that Naruto wasn't kidding.

"I hate you two, you know that?" she muttered.

"We know that's your way of saying you love us!" they said simultaneously while smirking.

Sakura sighed, and put up a weak protest as her "pals" dragged her to the center of the party she'd never agreed to have.

* * *

Watching the stars slowly come out was what had entertained him for the past hour or so, and he was beginning to grow restless. It seemed the hours he'd spent asleep were enough to fully restore him, and now he felt that nagging feeling you get when you're so bored you try to think up things to do that will just make you more bored. It's just a human-made cycle. At least back at the cells, he had something to do: like focus on surviving, and staying warm. Or even keeping your sanity.

He remembered a boy, a little younger than him, had been brought in. He seemed quite rebellious though, and always seemed to be given harsh punishment every minute he was out of his cell. But nothing had broken his spirit, till the blue lipped woman had him in a room alone with her. When he'd returned to his cell, he'd been nearly unconscious and covered in blood. When the others had finally seen him awake, he seemed like a doll. His eyes were wide, and his skin pale. His body barely moved unless an order was given to him.

When the other Blood-Guards had the chance to hold secret conversations, he'd never say a word. The light was on, but no one was home.

The tenant had moved out, permanently.

It was after that incident that the Blood-Guards became even more submissive to the cloaked instructors, especially towards that woman.

Glancing over towards the other cushioned seat, the boy noted that the woman was in a state of light sleep. Her mouth was open slightly, and her book was held loosely in her hand. Speaking of which, it looked as though it was sliding off her lap. Just when the boy thought the book would drop, and he would reach out to catch it, the man, Takeshi's voice, came through the open windows.

"Only a little longer Setsu."

Setsu opened her dark jade eyes, and smiled brightly. Her ignorance was back on, along with her grin.

"All right Takeshi," she called, her grin on her book returning. She then turned towards the boy, her grin still shining. "You'll be meeting you're Charge soon." she stated.

The boy just gave her an empty glance before turning back to the night sky. The stars reminded him…of those warm nights four years ago. He used to sneak out to meet up with that girl, and they'd stare up at the stars for hours…but those memories…that was all they were now. The only soothing things he had left in his mind. His eyes passed over a familiar constellation, and it brought a little solace to his troubled thoughts.

How long did he have? Till…well…whatever was awaiting him at the set destination. Should he be scared? Angry? Sad? He wasn't sure…but he had a strange feeling growing in the pit of his stomach.

* * *

"Night Sakura!" Ino called, slowly making her way out of the Haruno home. The pink haired girl followed her blonde friend with a tired scowl on her face.

"Good night Ino." she said, her voice betraying her unhappy look.

The long haired blonde smiled, before giving her friend a parting embrace.

"I know you won't thank me for the party, but you're welcome anyway." she mumbled. "And Sakura, try to get some sleep tonight, all right?" she asked, her eyes failing her as she tried to mask the concern in her voice.

Sakura smiled slightly, "Yeah."

Ino stood for a moment, contemplating something, before deciding to walk away.

Sakura watched her walk down the long drive and through the gate. Then, she watched her walk down the sidewalk, till the hedges circling the surrounding gate cut her line of view. The girl nearly jumped when an arm came around and hooked around her shoulders, pulling her against a warm chest.

"Happy birthday Sakura-chan." Naruto said warmly, ruffling the girl's hair that had fallen from her bun that morning.

Sakura didn't bother scowling, and allowed herself to grin at her other blonde friend's antics.

"Thank you, Naruto. Good night." she replied after he'd let go of her.

The blonde smiled, and nodded. "Hey, Sakura," he asked quietly.

The girl looked up at him, curious as to why he used a gently tone. "Hm?"

Naruto looked away for a moment, before looking back at her with a concerned look much like Ino's. Sakura could guess what he was going to ask, and smiled gently.

"Sakura, you'll be okay tonight, right? I mean, your parents aren't back yet, would you like me to stay, or something?" the boy asked.

The girl shook her head, her smile still on her lips.

"That's okay Naruto, I'll be fine. Don't worry," she added.

Naruto smiled softly, his eyes unable to mask the concern in his eyes.

"All right. Good night birthday girl," he added with a joking tone, poking the girl's nose before walking down the same path Ino had taken only minutes before.

Sakura watched him go, her eyes following his tall form till the hedges cut off her sight of him. Taking a deep breath, the girl then walked into the now empty home, slowly pulling the red ribbon from her hair and almost wondering if she almost missed the party that she'd never wanted. Wondering if she really wanted the quiet she'd been hoping for all day.

Glancing around the slightly messy room, she contemplated if she'd clean it up before going to bed—since she had no intention of waiting for her parents to come home—or if she'd leave it. But her conscious got the better of her, and she slowly made her way around the room, tidying it up. It would only take an hour or so to fully clean the room, and she was thankful that the party had remained in the large living room after all this time. When she finally finished, she felt her eye lids becoming heavy. Sitting down on one of the overstuffed chairs, she squeezed between the two pillows resting on the seat, and closed her eyes. She only planned to rest her eyes, but everyone knows that when you say that, it just means you'll be falling asleep soon.

* * *

He must have dozed off, because he felt the woman's hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently to wake him. Opening his eyes, he blinked a few times to regain focus, and looked over into Setsu's dark eyes. Her grin was back, and she seemed to be excited.

"We're finally there." was all she said before clutching his wrist and pulling him out of the carriage.

He stumbled a bit behind her slightly, but easily regained his footing. Once he was out, he looked up, and felt his breath catch in his throat. About thirty feet away stood a large two story manor that looked surprisingly inviting, even at the late hour. Glancing around, the teen saw that the home was surrounded by a tall, thick hedge that grew just inside of a thick iron gate fence. Surrounding ground around the manor was leveled and covered in thick looking grass, and the open expanse of the night sky above made the area seem tranquil. The place was much different than he'd been expecting, but he guessed that whoever he was to serve would severely contrast with the estate.

Takeshi came up behind them, and the boy turned to glance at him warily. The man looked down at him, an unreadable expression on his face. The dark haired teen looked away, and followed the woman as she walked up the stone pathway to the house. When the trio reached the front door, the man stepped forward and went to unlock it, but found it was already unlocked. He pushed the door open, and the boy looked past him into a dimly lit room about three times as large as his old cell had been.

The woman walked in quickly and Takeshi followed her. But before he took another step inside, he turned and noticed the teen staring warily inside. He stopped, and indicated for him to step inside. The teen narrowed his obsidian eyes slightly, and took a hesitant step in through the doorway. Takeshi closed and locked the door behind him. The man then stood off to the side, looking at the room where his wife was stooped over one of the chairs. The boy watched, his eyes locked on the woman curiously. He could sense someone was in the chair, but who? Was it his soon-to-be Charge?

* * *

Setsu smiled brightly when she saw the girl sleeping in the chair. Reaching out, she gently tapped the girl's cheek, waking her easily.

"Honey, wake up. We're home," the woman said quietly.

The girl blinked sleepily, and then seemed to wake up a bit more.

"Mother? W-what time is it?" she asked sleepily, glancing to the side as though searching for an indicator for the time.

Setsu chuckled slightly, before pulling her daughter up to her feet. The woman's smile only increased when she saw her daughter was still half asleep, and she reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her daughter's ear.

"It's late, but your father and I are finally back. And we have something for you," she added, her smile strangely able to grow larger.

"Uh," the girl began, but wasn't able to finish once her mother turned her around.

The girl's eyes widened and she gasped silently.

* * *

The boy's eyes widened when the woman helped a girl stand from the chair. Though he could only see her back, he felt a strange, yet familiar stirring in his chest. The girl's hair was longer than his own, and reached all the way down to her waist. It was also a pale pink. He was wondering who she might be, when he heard her call the woman 'Mother'.

'_So, am I to be the Blood-Guard of their daughter then?_' he asked himself.

When the girl was turned around, her eyes seemed to flock to him immediately, and their gazes met. He felt his breath catch in his throat, and his heart skip a beat. Her eyes were a stunning emerald green, much brighter than the woman's eyes.

"Sakura, this is your very own Blood-Guard." the woman announced happily, her hands gently squeezing her daughter's shoulders. "Happy Birthday!" she exclaimed.

But Sakura couldn't hear her last two words, her senses seemed to be blocked, except her sight—which was currently captured by a hard obsidian gaze.

"Blood-Guard…" she mumbled softly, her face unreadable.

**First chapter…and I have to say, the only part I think I liked was the end. Oh well, up to you guys to decide. Speaking of which, thanks for the awesome reviews everybody! It made typing this up enjoyable, and I have more ideas! And also, this is a Sasuke-Sakura story. All right then—till Chapter 2!**

**Sam**


	3. Dreams Once Forgotten

**Bound By Blood**

**_Disclaimer_**: Naruto not mine.

Thanks for all the reviews guys! You're all super duper awesome! I love you all! And I hope you like chapter 2! So, go on and enjoy.

**Chapter 2 Dreams Once Forgotten**

Sakura couldn't speak. Her senses were all clouded, except for her sight, and she was currently using it to all its power to gaze at the boy across the room. Did she just hear her mother right?

"Blood-Guard?" she repeated yet again, her voice trembling.

Setsu smiled and nodded, "Yes. He's all yours. Your father and I thought it would be best, now that you're a young lady, to have one. And besides, your father and I won't be around much, and we knew you'd need a servant to take care of you. You seem to not be able to do that yourself lately, Sakura." Setsu explained, her joyous tone making both teenagers in the room wince.

Sakura looked down at the carpet, a guilty expression on her face. But neither the woman nor man noticed, except for the boy. Though standing a few feet from her, he could still see her perfectly, and for some reason, seeing her sad made him feel saddened.

"I see. Then, thank you Mother, Father." the girl said softly.

Setsu didn't seem to notice the girl's saddened expression, and she leaned forward a bit to pat the girl on the cheek.

"You should go up to bed dear, you look tired." the woman said, leading the girl towards the other two occupants in the room. "Takeshi, take Sakura to her room, I'll show the Blood-Guard to his new room,"

Hearing her mother's words, Sakura's eyes widened a bit, and she looked up at her mother.

"M-Mother, wouldn't it be best if he stayed in my room? After all, if he's to be my servant, he should be with me at all times, right?" She asked quickly.

The woman looked down at her daughter, and nodded.

"I suppose it would be all right, there's the extra futon in your closet I believe," Setsu answered.

The boy listened to the mother and daughter speak, his eyes now gazing at the girl cautiously. A few moments ago, he'd thought she almost looked upset that her parents had gotten her a Blood-Guard, and he'd even gone as far to think that she was one of the few who believed it was wrong to have the Blood Bound slaves. But after hearing the way she referred to him with her mother, he realized he'd been foolish to just jump to conclusions like that. She was no different than anyone else. But still, why did he feel the sudden urge to want to be closer to her, when she was this close anyway?

But before he could really think about it, he felt an odd sensation in his hand, and realized he was being led towards the stairwell. Looking down, he saw the pink haired girl had grabbed his hand in her own and was nearly running up the long staircase. He couldn't help but feel an odd sensation in his chest from feeling his hand clutched so tightly in her own pale hand. It seemed so familiar, and so soft.

Once at the top of the stairs, the girl led the boy down a hall to their right, and stopped at the last door in the hallway. She opened it quickly, and pulled him gently inside the room before letting go of his hand to close the door. Not wanting to take his eyes of her as she closed the door, he couldn't help but look around the room.

The walls seemed to be a pale peach color, at least that's what he guessed since the moonlight coming in from the window seemed to give everything a light blue glow. The floor was a dark wood, polished to shine. There was a bed in the corner, and he noticed it wasn't made. The pillows also seemed disarranged, and he noticed that there was a small stuffed animal sitting on one of the pillows. Looking around some more, he noticed that except for a low rise table against one wall of the room, a large bookcase, and a vanity, the room didn't really look like someone lived there all the time. As though the room was a hotel room. There was nothing about it except for the stuffed animal that said the pink haired girl lived in that room.

"I'm sorry,"

Turning around quickly, the boy gazed at the girl with curiosity and confusion. She was standing a few feet away from him, and had her hands clasped in front of her with her eyes on the floorboards as though she'd done something wrong. He noticed that when she looked at him, her green eyes looked a bit frightened.

"You know, I never asked them to get me a Blood-Guard. I think it's wrong what people do to them," she stuttered, her dulled emerald eyes burning a hole in the floor.

The boy didn't answer, though he wanted to, but he knew the basic rules. You aren't to talk to your Master or Mistress unless they order you to say something, or if they're asking you a direct question.

"Um," she mumbled, not knowing what to say.

Hoping that he wouldn't get into trouble, the boy decided that he needed to take a chance, and turned to face her fully.

"Haruno-sama, didn't your mother tell you that you should retire for the night?" he asked in his obedient voice he used when speaking with the instructors back at the cells.

When the girl heard him address her, she looked up quickly in surprise.

"Please, don't call me that. You can just call me Sakura," she added, trying to smile gently.

"But, Haruno-sama," the boy replied, confusion in his voice.

Sighing, and walking towards two dark wood doors, Sakura opened one of them, and stepped inside the closet, only to reemerge with a large bundle in her arms. She walked over to her bed, and unrolled the bundle on the floor beside her bed. The Blood-Guard watched curiously as the girl prepared the futon. For some reason, he couldn't take his eyes off her, even though he could barely see her face what with her curtain of long pink hair.

"There, you can sleep here. Sorry that it's not much, but," Sakura mumbled, keeping her eyes away from the boy's.

The boy eyed her for a few moments, still wondering why she wasn't looking at him. It was him who shouldn't be staring at her. Was she disapproving of him? Did she not want him? Or, was she…_afraid_ of him?

"No, it's fine." he replied, his voice deep and soft. "Thank you very much. Is there anything I can do for you, Haruno-sama?" he asked, remembering his place quickly and bowing his head slightly.

"Well, actually…yes, there is one thing you could do for me." Sakura answered, turning and smiling softly at him.

"Anything, Milady." the boy replied, making Sakura wince slightly in embarrassment from the formalities.

"I want you to just call me Sakura. All right?" the girl asked hopefully.

"Sakura…" the boy mumbled quietly. He looked thoughtful for a moment, letting the name glide over his tongue.

Though she didn't show it, when the girl had heard the boy say her name, it'd sent a small shiver down her spine. Something about his voice was so familiar, and for some reason, she felt like her knees were going to melt. The boy standing just an arm's length away was the only person she'd ever met to make her ever feel the way she was feeling now. What was so strange about him?

"Sakura-sama." He said after a moment.

Sakura snapped out of her thoughts, and looked at him with a disappointed smile. But before she let him see it, she let it slip away and she yawned.

"I guess that will have to do." she said quietly, giving him another soft smile.

The boy widened his eyes a bit and looked away, feeling his cheeks growing warm. He'd liked how her name sounded and felt on his tongue, but he had to follow the guidelines he'd so painstakingly memorized over the past four years. He had to make sure that his Sakura-sama understood where she stands over him. Wait…_his_ Sakura-sama?

The boy looked up quickly and glanced towards where Sakura had stood, a very light pink blush on his cheeks. He hadn't just been thinking what he thought, right? He couldn't possibly be thinking about a girl he'd never met before as _his_, then alone think of a girl who _he_ now _belonged_ _to_ as his. What in the world was going on in his head?

But the boy's eyes then widened some more, and he felt his mind kick him very hard. Mentally of course, but still very hard. Sakura was no longer standing in front of him, and it looked like she wasn't even in the room any longer. She'd just disappeared into thin air while he was off thinking his own thoughts…some Blood-Guard he was.

At that moment, the boy heard a door behind him opening, and he turned quickly to see Sakura stepping out of the room beside the closet door. She was now dressed in a plain, white, long sleeved nightgown. Her hair looked brushed as well, and it fell down to nearly touch her waist.

"Sorry it took so long for me to get ready…" she mumbled, the blush returning to her cheeks. "You're free to use the bathroom if you need to. Or if you need to shower or anything…" she explained quietly, looking down at the floorboards as she spoke.

"No Sakura-sama. I'm fine." he stated, his lips turned up ever so slightly in the corners, in the smallest of smiles she'd ever seen. But it was enough.

"Are you sure? Do you need anything else, is what I mean, um…" the girl added, her blush increasing.

"Please don't worry about me," the boy stated gently, taking a few small steps towards her. "I am the one who should be looking after you. Now, isn't time that you go to bed?" he more stated than suggested.

Sakura stared at him for another second, and blinked once before breaking out of her thoughts and nodding. He stepped out of her way as she walked towards her bed, and sat down on the mattress, sinking slightly. Her Blood-Guard also walked over to the futon, and sat down slowly. Licking her lips nervously, Sakura averted her gaze from the boy and towards the floorboards.

"So," she asked quietly, her voice soft and a bit hesitant. "What do you wish for me to call you by?"

The ebony haired boy gazed at her, perplexed for a moment, before averting his gaze to the floor as well.

"As my Mistress, you are to call me as you wish," he explained, his voice sounding as though he'd read his words from a book.

"Ah, but," Sakura stammered, utterly surprised and confused by his words. "But, I should call you by what _you_ wish to be called. I _want_ to call you by what you wish," the girl said, whispering the last part. "After all, shouldn't a Blood-Guard be allowed even that small freedom, to choose their own name?" Sakura's voice was gentle and sympathetic as she continued, and her voice expressed her sadness and pity.

"What do you wish to call me by then?" the boy asked, turning his gaze back to her empty jade eyes.

Widening her own eyes, Sakura looked up and their two gazes locked once more. Without blinking her eyes or looking away, the girl's gaze softened even more. Though he found it odd, yet still refreshing to not be serving a tyrant, the girl was so submissive and calm, even to one much lower than her rank, that it was as if she was merely a shell of a person. Almost as though her mind was empty, and she couldn't take any attacks from a conflict or else she'd break apart.

"Your name, what was it, before you became a Blood-Guard?" she asked, her voice unwavering.

"…Sasuke," the boy replied after a whole minute of thinking and silence.

His name on his tongue felt so strange after all this time of not using it. The feeling was much like when he'd said his Mistress's name the way she wished him to say it, before he decided to add the _sama_. Looking back at the girl after looking away to think, he saw curiosity, surprise, shock, and what seemed to be pain swimming in her eyes.

"Sasuke…" she murmured, her eyes clouded as her mind processed the name. "I like it," she stated softly, smiling weakly.

The older boy was curious from her reaction, but knew better than to speak to her again without being directly asked any question. He did have to admit though, when she said his name, he felt a strange and familiar feeling crawl down his spine. It felt good.

Sakura looked away from the boy, and nestled down into the covers and blankets on her bed, sighing silently. As she felt herself become properly situated, and slowly falling into a relaxed and drowsy state, she smiled slightly.

"Good night…" she whispered, loud enough so that she knew he'd be able to hear. "Sasuke…"

Within moments, Sakura was asleep, and Sasuke also tried to situate himself on the futon. It was the most comfortable thing he'd felt in four years, besides the cushions in the carriage at least. But, for some reason, he still felt a bit odd sleeping on a futon instead of crouched in a corner. But he could definitely get used to the futon.

Only, it didn't seem to be that night, because he couldn't sleep at all. It was probably because he'd been sleeping comfortably all day, and now he was just too restless to sleep. Looking up towards the edge of the bed, he saw that Sakura's pale hand was hanging slightly over the edge of the mattress. As he stared up at it, he noticed that there looked to be tiny scars running over her palms and fingers. It was strange, because there were so many, but they looked very old as well. His mind was busy contemplating over what could have created the almost-unnoticeable scars, when the girl's body shifted, and her hand was brought back, away from the edge of the bed.

The boy sat up slightly, just to take a curious look at the girl. What he saw made the corners of his lips turn up into a small smile. The girl was entangled within her bed sheets while her hair was strewn all across the pillow, and in one arm, held protectively against her chest, was the small stuffed animal. The innocent, angelic face of the girl seemed even more so when she was asleep, and he could still find visible traces that made her look completely and utterly submissive and shy.

Sasuke leaned back down on the futon, pulling the two blankets Sakura had given him to use up to his chest. Before he closed his eyes to try and sleep, a single thought passed through his head. Taking a moment to breathe, Sasuke spoke.

"Good night, Sakura-sama…" he whispered.

* * *

_The river rushed across the stones in its bed, slowly making them smooth over time. Sunlight glimmered off the surface of the water, and dragonflies darted among the tall reeds growing near the banks. The girl sat on an outcrop of the bank, her legs dangling over the edge, and her feet in the water. Beside her sat a boy with short, dark hair, and he was doing the same as she._

_The girl looked over to him and smiled, her large eyes sparkling in the sunlight. The boy also looked over and gave her a smaller smile. It wasn't like him to smile much, and he always seemed so sad…but when he was around her, he seemed to always be smiling. Of course, they were never earth-shatteringly large smiles. Just small upturns in the corners of his lips. It still made her feel very special though, to know that she was able to make the distant, foreboding boy smile so warmly._

_"Are you hungry yet?" he asked after a moment, looking down at their feet in the water._

_She shook her head, and stared down at the water again. Her stomach was actually growling quietly, and the boy chuckled._

_"We can go get some lunch in a few minutes, kay?" he asked._

_She nodded, a light pink blush on her cheeks._

_The two continued to sit on the river bank, slowly moving their feet in the water, and laughing when a dragonfly flew past, brushing a cheek or nose. After another few moments, the boy pulled his feet out of the water, and stood up while stretching his arms. The girl looked up at him, and smiling, he reached out towards her, and she grasped his hand tightly so he could pull her up. When she too was standing, they slipped their sandals back on, and began walking away from the river. But just before they were even twenty feet from the river bank, the girl stopped walking, and glanced over her shoulder. The boy stopped as well, and gave her an inquisitive look._

_"What is it?" he asked, his dark eyes wide and curious._

_Glancing back at him and smiling, the girl ran back towards the river bank, and kneeled down in a patch of tall grass as she searched through the reeds, looking for something. When she stood again, she discreetly hid something behind her back just as she turned around, and walked back to her companion. Once she reached him, her cheeks became a bit more pink, and she brought out what she had behind her back._

_"Here," was all she said, and it was the first word he'd heard from her in the past two days._

_Looking down, the boy smiled warmly at the flower held gingerly in her grasp. The petals were a pale yellow, and the boy had noticed right away that it was a tulip. Reaching out slowly, his fingers wrapped delicately around the stem of the flower, and he gently pulled it out of her grasp. With the flower in his left hand, the boy extended his right hand to her, and she looked at it in surprise, and looked up at him. He continued to smile towards her, and she nodded happily._

_Reaching forward, the girl grasped the boy's hand, and walked closer to him as they began walking back to the village. Even as the village came in sight, and both knew that the villagers and residents would see them together like that, they didn't separate. In fact, the girl leaned onto the boy's arm, and wrapped her free arm around his as well._

_Looking down at the eleven year old, the thirteen year old smiled and sighed silently from content._

_"Thank you," he replied back, his left hand gently, and unnoticed by him, tightly squeezing the tulip.

* * *

_

Her eyes flashing open suddenly, Sakura disrupted her breathing pattern as she took in a long breath of air. What…was that? Why was she dreaming about that? The girl's thoughts raced through her head, and she clutched the bed sheets she was hopelessly tangled in tightly. It wasn't that the dream had frightened her…it's just that…it was the first dream she'd had in almost four years. Of course, she'd had nightmares more often than she could count, but those were only flashes that passed through her mind, and awoke her in a cold sweat at three o'clock in the morning.

But…that had definitely been a dream. And, though it had still been a very relaxing and comfortingly warm dream, she couldn't help but panic. Panic over the thought that she'd forgotten something important, and it was on the tip of her tongue…but she just couldn't place it. She couldn't picture it again either…no matter how hard she tried. She tried to imagine the boy's face again, but she kept pulling a blank. There was nothing for her mind's eye to see, nor make. With no subject matter, she had no idea how to recreate that dream.

What she could remember were the feelings she'd felt, and the familiarity from the entire scene, as though she'd been there before. And…that warm feeling she'd felt around that boy who she couldn't remember, it left a warm spot on her chest. It also gave her a weightless feeling, as though she was floating. Only…the longer she lay awake, the more of the feeling began to disappear. When she felt that it'd left her entirely, she found that she was cold…and her body seemed a little numb, and not in a nice way. Sakura could also feel a headache beginning to form inside her skull, the more she panicked and inquired herself about what she'd forgotten. She was aware that she'd forgotten many things…but…she wanted to know what she let slip out of her grasp. This time, at least, she wanted to remember what she'd lost.

Turning her head slightly, the long haired girl noticed that her Sasuke was crouched in a corner of her room, between the large window and wall.

'_Wait…_' the girl froze. '_**My** Sasuke!? When did he become **MY** Sasuke!? Well, technically, he **is** mine…but not in that way…_' the girl said to herself in a daze.

Looking back over towards the boy, the younger girl stared at him for a few moments, gazing at his sleeping face. She'd guessed he'd snuck over there hours ago, before the Sun's dawn began to light the sky. Speaking of which…Green eyes flickered over to the window, and Sakura tried to gaze out the window without moving, just incase she awoke her Blood-Guard. From what she'd learned from her parents' Blood-Guard, they were light sleepers and could wake up quite easily, and the girl didn't want to wake Sasuke from a possibly peaceful slumber.

Instead, the girl closed her eyes again, and sighed as silently as she could, licking her lips absently.

"I can't remember…" she muttered quietly, turning on her side to get herself in a more comfortable position.

She wouldn't be falling asleep again, but she didn't want to get up yet either. It was already dawn, the usual time she awoke anyway. She'd just lie in bed now for a few more hours till her mother knocked on her door.

* * *

Sasuke gazed at the still body of Sakura, his eyes having opened again when he heard the bedsprings creak nearly silently when the girl rolled over. He'd also caught her words, and was curious as to know why she said those words with such sadness and remorse. He'd been asleep up until the girl woke up, because he'd had a very strange dream of a distant memory.

Regarding the girl, though, he'd immediately noticed the change in her breathing pattern first off, and had also listened intently while he pretended to be asleep. He guessed she'd just had a strange dream, a nightmare maybe. But then, he'd felt a calm aura fill the room. Why he was able to feel his Mistress's aura so strongly was a mystery to him, but he noticed quite comfortably that he liked the surrounding air. It was calm and warm, leaving a floating feeling in his chest. But then the daze ebbed away, leaving nothing but a barren, cold room.

What puzzled the boy the most was that the girl hadn't tried to go back to sleep. Sure, she'd rolled over, with the seemingly intent to go back to sleep, but he noticed that she seemed wide awake. Not knowing what to think, Sasuke looked out the window again, and out at the peach colored sky. A glowing, golden disk was slowly rising over the mountain tops on the horizon, and he saw three pearl-colored morning doves fly by. The sight was so surreal, he wondered if it truly was real or not. It just seemed too peaceful and perfect, but at the same time, he truly hoped that the surrealistic landscape was in truth a reality.

Leaning his head against the wall again, he merely closed his eyes in an effort to sleep. But, he knew that he couldn't. It would be impossible. Not to mention, his mind was becoming crowded with memories and mental images of that girl…the girl he'd met in Konoha…before he'd left her four years ago. Because of his dream, he kept seeing the images of her smiling face at the riverbank. He kept hearing the sound of their laughs mixing together as dragonflies buzzed past. He kept imagining she was with him even now. Of course, she'd be older by now. But she'd also be more beautiful and graceful than she was at eleven years old. Sighing, Sasuke opened his eyes again, and looked back at the supposedly "sleeping" body of his Lady.

'_She's probably forgotten about me by now…'_ the boy thought to himself sulkily. '_She's probably been with tons of guys as well, and definitely gave up her first kiss. I don't blame her though…_' the teen thought to himself grimly. '_She'd never want anything to do with me now…_'

His eyes closing tightly, Sasuke tried again to get the images of the girl out of his mind, but she kept resurfacing…and then, he saw her face from the day he left her. The broken look she'd had in her eyes, and the lost expression she had. He guessed that he'd never want to wait for someone for four long years with no contact at all, either. So…he couldn't really place any fault on her. Of course, there was always the sting of thinking that she'd broken the promise they'd so deeply made. But, he still couldn't blame her.

Looking back towards the window, the boy felt his mind slowly begin to grow numb as he simply gazed out at the pale orange clouds in the sky, his mind completely blank for the moment. He didn't notice the small ray of light enter the room when a cloud passed away from the sun, but the beam of gold light fell upon a single red tulip standing in a vase on Sakura's vanity table.

**Okay, I know this chapter is not acceptable length-wise for such a long absence, but please forgive me. I was working on Freedom Samurai, when I suddenly got Writer's Block on that, and an idea for this chapter. This chapter is the product of nearly eleven straight hours, excluding three minute bathroom breaks, of me just typing up on the inspiration and idea I got for this part of the chapter. Once I update Freedom Samurai, I'll work on the next chapter to Bound by Blood, and try to make it around 8,000 to 9,000 words to compensate for my lateness. I just wanted to get out this chapter since the idea kinda stopped flowing so smoothly, and the fact that I'm going to watch a Crime show on Court TV with my mom right now, and we haven't watched TV in a long time, so yeah.**

**I gotta go, I love you all, and I hope you review. And also, don't think that I've been keeping any secrets yet…so if by the end of the chapter you feel I've made too easy of a secret, it's not a secret to you readers…okay, gotta go now!**

**Love you all! Sam**


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